This year, our champion is Ken Krum who went 17-7, or 70.8%. And while that is lower than the winning percentage of last year’s champion Mark D at 73.1%, it is still good enough to earn Ken a Hoya Hoops T-Shirt.

Congratulations Ken, and please contact us at hoyahoops@hoyahoops.com so we can get your size and address and send you your shirt.

The NCAA Selection Committee has spoken. 68 teams are prepared to battle it out for the NCAA Champtionship. Instead of the standard bracket that most people have you fill out, we do things a little differently at Hoya Hoops. So, without further ado, it’s time for the second annual NCAA Pick 8, an “Intelligent Alternative” to the boring bracket.

For the newcomers, or for those of you who may have forgotten, here are the rules: You pick eight (8) teams. We total up the winning percentage of your eight teams combined. Whoever has the highest winning percentage is the Champion and wins a Hoya Hoops T-shirt.

There is, however, one catch about your choice of teams. This is really the only rule, so pay close attention: You can only choose one team of each seed.

In other words, of your eight teams, you can have at most one #1 seed, at most one #2 seed, and so on. You do not have to choose seeds 1-8; it’s acceptable to have a #9 seed or a #10 seed, or even a #16 if you’re feeling lucky (or crazy). But, you can only choose one team of each seed!

One final note: In case two or more contestants finish with the same winning percentage, select one player (any player in the tournament) who you think will score the most total points in the NCAA Tournament. The selected player with the most points will be the determining factor in case of a tie.

And that’s all there is to it. Submit your eight teams in the comments, and good luck!

Here are our picks:

• #1 – Pittsburgh
• #2 – Notre Dame
• #3 – Connecticut
• #4 – Louisville
• #5 – West Virginia
• #6 – Georgetown
• #9 – Villanova
• #11 – Marquette

As for our tiebreaker, we figured we should pick either the Big East Regular Season Player of the Year or the Big East Tournament Player of the Year. Yeah, so we are going with Kemba Walker.

Mark D won Hoya Hoops’ inaugural NCAA Pick 8 with his selection of Duke, West Virginia, Baylor, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Marquette, Richmond, and Gonzaga. Those teams went 19-7 for a 73.1% winning percentage, earning Mark the coveted Hoya Hoops T-shirt as well as the eternal glory that comes with winning the first Pick 8.

GKiely, big A, lin, Will F, Drew, and LCPolo18 all tied for second place with 63.6% as all of those participants picked 14 wins but no National Champion.

So congratulations Mark D, and like we asked Zo the Pregame Predictions champion, please contact us at hoyahoops@hoyahoops.com so we can get your contact info and shirt size to send you your prize.

Bored with the same old bracket?

Tired of annoying co-workers thinking they know more about basketball than you because they correctly picked some obscure upset that has no relevance to the tournament?

 
 
If so, we present “An Intelligent Alternative” to the boring bracket. This game is a better way to show if you know your stuff, and it takes much less time to do. We call it the NCAA Pick 8.

Here’s how you play. You pick 8 teams. We total up the winning percentage of your eight teams combined. Whoever has the highest winning percentage is the Champion and wins a T-shirt.

WAIT…there is one catch about your 8 teams. This is the only rule, but it is important: You can only choose one team of each seed!

For example, you can only have one #1 seed, and only one #2 seed. You do not need to have seeds 1-8; feel free to choose a #9 seed or a #10 seed, or even a #16 if you’re feeling lucky. But you can only choose one team of each seed!

So go at it! Enter your 8 teams in the comments area and good luck.

Tiebreaker: In case two or more contestants finish with the same winning percentage, select one player (any player in the tournament) who you think will score the most total points in the NCAA Tournament. The selected player with the most points will be the determining factor in case of a tie.

Here are our picks:

• #1 – Syracuse (Hoyas beat them)
• #2 – Villanova (Hoyas beat them)
• #3 – Georgetown
• #5 – Temple (Hoyas beat them)
• #6 – Marquette (Hoyas beat them)
• #9 – Louisville (Hoyas beat them)
• #11 – Washington (Hoyas beat them)
• #13 – Houston (Hoyas beat them…in 1984 National Championship)

And our tiebreaker: Chris Wright

What New Year’s resolutions should the Hoyas make?

We think that the team should resolve to limit turnovers. The Hoyas are averaging almost 14 turnovers a game, and with the tough defense played in the Big East, that number will go up unless the Hoyas make a concerted effort take care of the ball more. What do you think the New Year’s resolutions of the team, players, or coaches should be? Post your answers in the comments.

What Halloween candy reminds you of a Hoya – past or present – and why?

For us, we think that Sugar Daddies remind us of Gene Smith. Just like the candy, he’d stick to anybody. What Halloween candy gets you thinking about the Hoyas? Post you answers in the comments.

In honor of Pat’s big day, we’ve decided to have some fun with you all. Write a hoyku about Patrick Ewing and post it in the comments. Here’s ours, taken from Tony’s favorite Patrick memory.

The ref can’t reach it
The ball is stuck in the net
Patrick saves the day

Congratulation to Patrick and to whoever comes up with the best poem.

What is your favorite memory of Jeremiah Rivers?

For us, it was his stellar defense against Jonny Flynn in the overtime win over Syracuse this season. Rivers completely shut down the player who had scored 24 points in the first half hour, forcing Flynn to shoot 0-8 in the end of regulation and the overtime period.

What about you? What are your favorite memories?

What is your favorite memory of Vernon Macklin?

For us, it was Vernon’s game against Davidson. He showed flashes of the player he could be, making hustle plays, big dunks, even converting his free throws. Unfortunately, that will be the last time we see Vernon in the Blue and Gray. What is your favorite memory? Let us know in the comments.

What other individual honors should go out to the Hoyas?

You could say things like Most Intensity should go to Patrick or Best Defense to Jeremiah, but since these Game Times are supposed to be fun, we’re gonna say Most Diva goes to Roy. He had the most halftime wardrobe changes on the team, switching from undershirt, to cut-off, to no undershirt whenever he felt he wasn’t being Monster enough.

What do you think?